fauge here is an article for you... yuo kno when we think about taking amrit - we always bombard our mind with things we CANNOT DO. we never actually make a lits of things that we CAN do once we take amrit. there are so many misconceptions around. bad parchaar - backward parchaar. btw namaste to y'all my first post on this site. take care and stay high hope it helps fauge.
Amritdharis’
cannot go to the movies
cannot socialize with non-Amritdhari friends
cannot eat meat
must cover their heads 24 hours a day
cannot wear jewelry
cannot be fashionable
cannot go swimming
cannot share food with others
must wear only Punjabi suits everyday
cannot listen to pop music
food must be cooked separately from other family members
cannot eat in restaurants
must be able to read and write Punjabi
cannot dance
and some more weird stuff that we don’t have the space to put here…………
That’s what they told you, right? It is my pleasure to inform you that none of the above is true. All those were old practices, unchanged for centuries, the result of ultra-orthodox interpretations and cultural influences of the Sikhs living in the Punjab. That Sikhi was good for that time. Today, Sikhi is a global religion, just like Guru Nanak wanted it to be. For years now, Amrit has constantly been modernizing to keep up with the times. Amritdharis today are just ordinary folk like you and me. They are not from another planet. They love fast food, fast cars and super bikes too !!
When Guru Gobind Singh first introduced Amrit, His instructions were so simple that they rang out like a bell. And at his first sermon, out of 80,000 people gathered to listen, 25,000 took their Amrit immediately! The only reason the others didn’t take was fear of their priestly class, the Brahmins, the Mullahs and their own family elders. Otherwise there would have been much much more.
He said only 3 things
First – an Amritdhari must wear the 5 K’s.
Second – he/she must not commit the following misconduct :
a) Cut one’s hair with intention, Consume intoxicants, c) Eat meat that has been slaughtered by another religion’s rites, d) Be unfaithful to your spouse.
And third, be a God-conscious person.
Amrit was so simple that Guru Gobind Singh baptized His two younger sons Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, who were only 4 years and 1 year old. !! (Should you meet anyone who disagrees with our approach to Amrit, please ask the individual how, do they think, a 4 year old and a 1 year old child could take Amrit) They cannot possibly know how to do any path or prayers. A one year old child does not even have enough hair on his head to keep a kangha, let alone carry a kirpan. This is complete proof of the flexibility and maturity of our Guru’s approach, as compared to the fanatical and unreasonable attitude of some Sikh groups today. They have caused so much damage to the Sikh psyche in their preaching of Amrit that even the more devout Sikhs move quietly away as soon as someone speaks about Amrit.
If we do not start preaching the real truth about Amrit, how are we going to save our religion. How are we going to interest our young to take Amrit when even Sikhs in their 50’s and 60’s, after going to Gurdwaras all their lives, serving the Guru faithfully, then still refuse, or are afraid to take Amrit for fear of committing some sin that will condemn them to Hell ! Their fear of Amrit is so extreme that they rather go to their deathbed unamritised and unbaptised, with no one to help them in the after life, than to take their Amrit and have the Guru to receive them and save them from Hell and rebirth!!
So, what is Amrit ……………?
Amrit Is A Lifestyle
God gives us life. We give it style. And there it is – lifestyle. There are many lifestyles around today. Most will lead you to ruin. Look around you. You are surrounded by conflict everywhere – in homes, marriage, work, life. This is resulting in domestic violence, divorce, broken homes and frightened children, court battles, social problems, confusion, hopelessness and suicide, just to name a few. Amrit teaches us to be a wonderful, God loving person. It saves us from the bad habits that that have brought this world to where it is today, The Guru is life. Amrit is a oasis in the desert, where you will find cool water and shade from the burning sands of kalyug.
Amrit Is a Passport
One day (we never know when), we shall leave this world. The prophets of every religion including ours, tell us that we shall go to judgment. Our Gurus promise that if we take our Amrit, it becomes His responsibility, and He will personally be there n the other side, to receive us and take us to Sachkhand (heaven). Sachkhand, or Gurpuri, is a realm, a place where those who are blessed, go after death.
Some people say that ‘as long as I am a good person and pray to God, I’m sure everything will be alright’. On this matter, I shall not speak. I should not talk about things I do not know. But what I do know is that I can be the best citizen in my country. I obey all the rules and have done great and wonderful things for my country. I may even have many testimonials to prove it but on the day I decide to migrate to the U.S. or anywhere, I will have to produce my passport at New York airport. If I do not carry one, I will be put on the on the next flight out of the U.S. and made to pay for it too. They will not allow me to enter even if I showed them all the fantastic testimonials and medals that I won while I was loyally serving my country. I will need a passport. I can land anywhere in the world. Without a passport, I will be turned back. But as long as I have a passport, someone will have to attend to me. Amrit is that passport !
Amrit Is Freedom
Freedom is something we feel when we feel totally safe and secure. Have you seen a child at a park playing happily, skipping around without a care in the world, when the parents are nearby. That’s the feeling. Amrit is freedom because you will have the Guru, your guardian angel watching over you all the time. And when tough times come, the Guru will shine like a lighthouse to show you the way.
Amrit Is Salvation
When we are born, we come from God. We are spiritual beings on a human journey , sent here to rejoice and spread the word of God’s greatness. One day we must leave this life, this world. Salvation means going back to God after having achieved that goal; going back to the Guru or Gurpuri – the city of our Guru.
Salvation comes to those who listen to the message of their prophet and become higher beings by practicing the wonderful teachings, which also bring us respect in society. If you take Amrit and keep improving as a good human being, the Guru shall save you. He will guarantee your salvation. And you know what – the best part is – your prayers will save your family and many others too.
So, here we are. Now you know, that Amrit was never about borders and limitations, can’t do this and can’t do that; it was never about whether a girl can wear jeans or whether a boy can wear a turban scarf with tails! It was never about whether you can eat chicken, or vegetarian pizza only.
Amrit is about becoming a greater person than what you are now, a person of higher consciousness, higher thinking and higher living. Amrit is about a lifestyle, a choice to live life to its fullest, while observing all the things that good people all over the world value – honesty, discipline, charity, humility and worship. Never hurt anyone. Be sensitive to the feelings of others. Always help those who need it. Never look down on anyone, (even who you perceive as the lowest sinner). And pray for everyone – sarbatt dha bhalla.
Amrit is about becoming a “Lighted Candle†so that you can light the candles of others who need this light in their lives. Amrit is about becoming a “blanket of God†( raam rezaii ), so you can offer warmth to those who are ‘out in the cold dark night of spiritual loneliness’. There is no one they can go to when their heart is troubled. Amrit is about becoming a higher being, one who is here in this world but lives high above it, and cannot be touched by any of its impurities.
As part of our celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the ‘Pahela Parkaash of Guru Granth Sahib’ to be celebrated by us on the 31 Aug 2004, we invite you to join ‘The March of The 1000 Khalsa’. We are inviting 1000 Sikhs to take their Amrit baptism together, all at once, on that historical day. I am inviting you too. This would be the greatest opportunity in your lifetime. An event of this nature has never ever been held anywhere, outside of India.
Take some time out to think about it. It will secure your life and the life of your loved ones. It will bring balance into you life. Your children will grow up confident and upright. The reason we have all been born is to rise higher on the spiritual scale, from being ordinary men (maanas) to transform into angels (deveteh). If we do not go up this scale, we shall go down in our next life.
Please contact us if you have any questions or for details of this event. Please be there, and you will see for yourself that Amrit was never ever about those silly little things all those people had been telling you all this time. It was always about something much more special.
In Celebration of 400 years – The March of 1000 Khalsa, 31 Aug ‘04
Other Flyers in this series:
What are we celebrating
Magic Minute
Navee Zindagee, Navaa Jeevan
Blessing your Home with Guru Granth Sahib
Your Children and their Baptism
Empower Yourself – are you a problem or a solution
Why We are Doing What We are Doing
The Challenge
